Abstract
The General Electric Company has spawned from the creativity and genius of Thomas Edison, the entrepreneurial spirit and business savvy of Charles Coffin, and the capital support of J.P. Morgan. The culture of continual improvement and industrial research at General Electric has produced significant breakthroughs and contributions to science and society. The paper presents an analytic framework on the formation and history of General Electric focusing on what has made them successful, the contributions to industry and society, including the performance of the company under Jack Welch, his predecessor, Reg Jones, and successor, Jeffrey Immelt.